During his tumultuous journey on season 9 of Bachelor In Paradise, which came to a close just last night (October 27), two major qualities about the one and only Sean McLaughlin likely stick out to you.
First and foremost, he is a self-proclaimed Taylor Swift fan. We all remember him crashing and burning when trying to build a connection with fellow Swiftie, Jess Girod… right?
Second of all, he is a self-proclaimed Ken doll look alike, and he feels the need to tell everyone… and we seriously mean everyone.
“Bachelor In Paradise Gods, can you please provide someone a little bit more open to dating someone 26 years old and looks like a Ken doll? Please? Thank you. Amen,” he dished in a confessional at the end of episode four, marking just one of the hundreds of time he referenced Barbie’s lover throughout his time on the beach.
Needless to say, Bachelor In Paradise viewers were fed up with the excessive Ken doll comments, taking to social media to express their dissatisfaction.
Not gonna lie, his comments were pretty cringe-worthy…
It is clear that Sean views himself as Ken’s doppelgänger, but fans of The Bachelor franchise have just one question: how did he pinpoint this comparison in the first place?
Keep scrolling to find out for yourself…
When Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie was getting ready for its debut, Charity Lawson‘s season of The Bachelorette was in the process of filming, and some of Bachelor Nation‘s most beloved men, such as Dotun Olubeko, Joey Graziadei, Aaron Bryant, Aaron Schwartzman, John Buresh, and (of course) Sean McLaughlin, participated in a Barbie-themed talent show.
Hosted by former Bachelorette Jojo Fletcher and her husband, Jordan Rodgers, the men were required to dress up as a Ken doll of their choice during the group date, writing a song set to “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, and performing it in front of a live audience (including Charity herself).
While there were costumes like Merman Ken, Cowboy Ken, and even Birthday Suit Ken, Sean chose to be Double Denim Ken, rocking a light wash denim vest, as well as light wash skinny jeans. Showing off his six-pack abs, he looked super sexy!
Taking the stage to perform his one-of-a-kind song (and looking great while doing it), Charity crowned Sean as the winner of the Barbie-themed talent show, ultimately earning him some extra one-on-one time with the Bachelorette herself in the beautiful city of Oceanside, California.
He reflected on the experience in a heartfelt Instagram post this past July: “It’s giving Barbie and Ken 🫶💕 Oceanside will always hold a special place in my heart. For a group of guys with no karaoke / song writing experience (and it showed) they all crushed it. Every guy embraced the moment, stepped outside their comfort zone, and had a ton of fun (a few shots too). That memory is something we will always share. Tune in Mondays to see this love story continue. I promise this is the last time you have to hear my awful singing #TheBachelorette #BachelorNation Double Denim Ken Forever ✌🏼”
As all Bachelor In Paradise viewers can confirm, this win definitely went to Sean’s head, resulting in loads and loads of Barbie-related content for the next few months.
He even took to TikTok this past July to share a video of him attending a showing of Barbie, all while wearing his Double Denim Ken jeans and boxers. Even beyond The Bachelorette, Sean really embraced this Ken doll persona!
While Double Denim Ken doll may have not found his Barbie in Paradise, tune into brand new episodes of Bachelor in Paradise every Thursday at 9pm ET/8pm CT on ABC, with new episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day, to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
